Bicycle



UNITED STATES OF ICE.

JAMES L. LE-EPER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA,

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,578, dated February4, 1890.

Application filed May 25, 1889. Serial No. 312,185. (No model-l To allwhom it nwy concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES L. LEEPER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort \Vayne, county of Allen, and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Bicycles, of which thefollowing is a full and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of bicycles having wheels of the sameor nearly the same size as the Victor Safety bicycle, the VeloceColumbia bicycle, and the American Rambler, and all other rear-drivingsafety-bicycles. v

The objects of my invention are, first, to

. provide a seat on which a child, encircled by sliding and adjustablehandlebars or handrests, can ride securely on a bicycle in front of thesteering-shaft without danger of contact with the steering-wheel andwithout interfering with the'free movements of the machine; and, second,to enable an adult of either sex to ride over the front wheel of abicycle in front of the steering-shaft without using pedals, orotherwise assisting in either the steering or the propelling of themachine, on a seat attached to the steering-shaft in such a manner as toadjust itself automatically to the'movements of the steering-wheel.These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- V Figure 1 is a side View of thesteering shaft or headand steering-wheel of a bicycle, with my entireimprovement,the bicycle extensionseat attached, showing bracket, handlebars or rests, seat, and mudguard with foot-rest. Fig. 2 is a top viewof the seat and handlebars or hand-rests with bracket. Fig. 3 is a topview of the bracket with a folding hinge, which receives thesteering-shaft at the fork. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same bracketadjusted to steering-shaft. Fig. 5 is a top view of the bracket throughwhich the brake-rod passes, and which with bracket, Fig. 3, se curesbracket 0, with seat and handle-bars attached to the steering-shaft.Fig. 6 is a side view of thesame bracket adjusted to the shaft. Fig. 7is a side View of the seat and bracket on which the seat rests and to.which the set-screws 21 21, which adjust and fasten 4 it on rod 1', Fig..l, and the hole through which rod 0" passes. Fig. 11 is another view ofthe foot-rest, showing a portion of the rod to which it is fastened andthe curve with which it is made, designed to throw the foot, if desired,at or beyond the circumference of the wheel. Fig. 12 shows two sectionsof the rod 1" in Fig, 1 with the rivets by which the mudguard isfastened on the lower side. Fig. 13 is two sections of the handle-bar orhand-rest, showing the thread and the hollow portion of the bar. Fig. 14is thatsection of the mud-guard made of wire screen and fastened in aframe. Fig. 15 isa top view-of the chair-like seat for a child toreplace the saddle-seat at pleasure.

Fig. 16 is a side view of the same with spring attached at the bottom.Fig. 17 is a front view of the mud-guard 16 with skirt-guard attached.Fig. 18 is a top View of the same.

Similarletter's refer to similarpartsthroughout the several views.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the framework of the invention consists of abracket 0 with the seat 71 and handlebars 7t k, and the devices a and bby which they are secured to the steering-shaft and to each other, alsoa mudguard u with a screen or and a footrest P.

The L-shaped bracket 0, (see Fig. 7,) to which the seat is attached atg, is firmly secured at A and B, Fig. 1, to that part of thesteering-shaft extending from the handlebar of the bicycle to the fork,which is moved by said handle-bar in steering. By this method ofattachment the seat moves auto- Inatically with the steering-wheel andkeeps the seat and its occupant at all times directly over the wheel,otherwise there would be an interference in the movements of the machineand the safety of the riders would be endangered. The seat is'a saddle,Fig. 7, fast= ened to a spring h, which is secured to the bracket at gby clip g. This saddle may be removed at pleasure and a chair-like seat,

Fig. 16, substituted for small children. The seat is encircled by twohandle bars or rests 7; 7.2, Fig. 2, which are adjustable to movelaterally to and from the seat. They are firmly received in squaresockets, Fig. 9, by means of set-screws 18 18, Fig. 9. The clip 13, Fig.1 in which these handle-bars are inserted is adjustable up and down onbracket 0, Fig. 1, to which it is firmly fastened by a set-screw 28,Fig. 9.

The handles m, Fig. 2, turn upward to suit the natural position of thehands. The handle-bars 7a A, Fig. 2, pass through handles in m, whichare hollow with a thread to receive bars 1i and 15. (See also Fig. 13.)Bar 15 is hollow (see 15,Fig.13) and receives bar 11, thus completelyencircling the occupant of the seat.

devices, Figs. 3 and 5.

the steering-shaft at B by means of a setscrew 4,- Fig. 3. This bracket,Fig. 3, has also 1 two round sockets S 8 to receive the pins 11, 1

- to the mud-guard and to arod 0', substantially Figs. 7 and S.

The top of bracket 0, Fig. 1, is securely i fastened to thesteering-shaft at A by means of a bracket or device, which is made toslip is removed. It is then fastened firmly to the shaft by means of aset-screw 9, Fig. 5. This bracket also has an opening 23, Fig. 5, forthe free movement of the brake-rod D, Fig. 1, which does not move withthe steering-shaft. This bracket also hasa round socket 7, Fig. i

bracket secured to the steering-shaft thereof 5, into Which is fittedthe pin 10, Fig. 7.

The occupant of the seat heretofore dc scribed isprotected from thewheel by alight shield or mud'guard consisting of two partsshield it, ascreen 'n, Fig. 1, and a skirt-guard 29, Figs. 17 and 18.

The shield or guard it consists of thin sheet metal screwed upon rod 31,Fig. 1, from the under side, and also is fastened to rod 7' at 3 inFigs. 1 and 12, and also to fork E at t, Fig. 1, curving upward at 26.The wire-gauze n is framed (see Fig. 11) and fastened to guard u and rod0' by rivets at w w and 10, Fig. 1. Rod 0 is also secured to axle G.

Ski1'tguard 29, Fig. 18, consists of one piece of metal with four curvedarms and fastened to rod 31 by means of set-screw 30, Figs. 17 and 18,and also by means of pieces of itself partially cut out and turneddownward so as to fit firmly around rod 31, Fig. 1.

The foot-rest, Fig. 10, is adjustable on rod 1*, Fig. 1. (See also Fig.11.) It is fastened to red r by two set-screws 21 21 in Plate 20, Fig.10. The foot-rest is made with a curve to throw it outward to thecircumference of the wheel for the convenience of a lady rider.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination, with the steering-shaft of a bicycle, of a hingedbracket having pins which are connected in bearings of said shaft, and aseat with an S-shaped spring removably secured to said bracket,substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the steering-shaft of a bicycle having bearingssecuredthereto,

of the swinging bracket connected to said bearings, and the adj ustablehandles mounted on said bracket, substantially as and for the purposesspecified. 8. The combination, in abicycle having the steering-shaft, ofthe bracket connected to said shaft and laterally movable thereon, a re-1novable seat on said bracket, a mud-guartha curved skirt-guard mountedon a rod and sccured to the mud-guard, and ascreen secured as specified.

4. The combination, with the bracket removably secured to thesteering-shaft of a bicycle and extending over the driving-wheel thereofand adjustable with the movements'of said wheel, of the removable seatand spring attached to said bracket by means of a suitable clip,substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 1

5. The combination, in a bicycle, of the and adapted to have movementwith the Wheel of the bicycle, and the outwardly-curved adjustablefoot-rests mounted on theforward ends of the rods 7', substantially asspecified. 6. In a bicycle, the combination, with the steering-shaft, ofthe clamps a and b, loosely secured to bearings on said shaft and havingopenings at their rear portions, and the seat with a spring secured tothe lower end of the bracket, as set forth.

JAMES L. LEEPER. \Vi tnesses:

JOHN Mourns, Jr., L. 11. Coornn.

